Llandudno Things to Do

The Bluegrass musical and dance festival takes place over 4 days in July. . Bluegrass music is a form of American root music, and a sort of country music. It has roots in Scottish, English, Welsh and Irish traditional music, using traditional instruments.

Bluegrass Stuff, an Italian band
Rawhide a Belgian band
Baker's Fabulous Boys are a Cheshire-based Bluegrass band
Also there is Squaredancing and UK and US guest artists

For enthusiasts there is camping in the grounds of Conwy Cricket Club with flush toilets, bar and hot food available until late. Security patrols throughout the hours of darkness - a nice safe site for all the family. RADAR Toilets for people with disabilities are on site.

The festival takes place in nearby Conwy where there is limited accommodation. Many people choose to stay in Llandudno with more choice of places to stay.

See Youtube below !

Every May the town puts on its Victorian fancy dress for 3 days.

Relive the days of old Llandudno. Victorian fun fair, tea dances, events, staff in the shops and locals wear Victorian clothes and so should you.

Llandudno Transport Festival takes place each May

The Transport Festival is the largest in Wales. It is held in conjunction with the Victorian Extravaganza. Each day following the Parade a dress competition will be held in the Promenade Arena. There is also a photographic competition with £2500 WORTH OF PRIZES.

Victorian Costume, vintage fairground and a host of attractions combine in this annual celebration of transport and entertainment within the town. The two events are linked by a free shuttle-bus service

Even though my children are grown up and its not very pc, I love to visit the promenade to see the traditional Punch & Judy show in Llandudno.

The Punch & Judy man of my childhood has found it harder and harder to make a living from his seaside pitch. There are probably no more than a dozen resorts left in the UK with a resident Punch show on the beach, promenade or pier.

Open Easter - to end August.

The traditional Punch & Judy Show originated in Italy and became popular street entertainment to the Victorians at the Seaside, as they flocked to the coastal resorts.

What a boring name for a spectacular piece of coast at the extreme end of the town.

It overlooks the Penmaenmawr range of mountains from the beach. It is a quiet "blue flag" beach with a children's playground, model boating pool and the memorial of the White Rabbit (commemorating the author of Alice in Wonderland).

It is the place for summer picnics on the grass on the beach or in the sand dunes.

Its popular for water sports too, but to me the best thing is the unrivalled views across the Conwy Estuary and further afield to Puffin Island and Anglesey, and it doesnt matter what time of year you go or the weather. The sunsets there are spectacular.

The biggest reason why most people visit Llandudno is to spend time on the beach. H'm, the name 'North Shore' is not a very exciting name for such a beautiful stretch of coast near the main shopping district!

It is a 3 mile long crescent of sand, pebbles and rock. There is large paddling pool and a cafe which is open in the summer which are located towards the little Orme end, called Craig-y-don.
You mind find the Punch and Judy show in action in the summer too.

A long walk along the beach more than makes up for eating high calorie doughnuts and pink candyfloss that you can buy from stalls on the 120 year old pier near the Grand Hotel. There is also a Cafe bar at the far end of the pier and along the way where you can still play innocent games in the amusement arcade with one arm bandits and electronic games.

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I understood that the visitor’s center at the top of the mountain was to be open this summer, but sadly, as with many construction projects, it has been delayed a bit. I don’t know how long. So we didn’t get to go to the top but did take the pleasant and scenic ride up to the Clogwyn station. Of course we could have walked up to the summit but it is very steep and probably the round trip would have taken 2-3 hours. The views on the trip and at Clogwyn are really spectacular - old mountains and valleys of volcanic origin in sweeping panoramas all around. And of course the most pastoral of all, sheep grazing on hillsides. The train system is interesting as the gradient is too steep for normal trains and tracks, so a rack and pinion system is used. Not only very effective for hauling you up but also an excellent braking system to prevent too rapid a descent.

Trains run pretty much daily but as the weather can be iffy and effect schedules, it is best to double check. Prices are not cheap: Adults £16, Seniors £13, Children £12
If it is a busy time there can be a wait for a seat on one of the trains, so either book ahead or be prepared to have something at the cafe.

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It would be virtually impossible to visit all the castles in Wales so choices must be made. Everyone told me I should visit Caerbarfon but I chose Harlech for personal reasons. As a teenager I sang in our schools Boy’s Glee Club and one of my favorite memories was the rousing song Men of Harlech. This is one of the better known songs of Wales and is frequently mistaken for the national anthem. (The national anthem is actually Land of My Fathers. So we visited this magnificent castle which appears to have been planted and rooted in the rocky shore overlooking the Irish Sea.

As you wander through this magnificent old fortress the rooms and spaces are well marked and there are several museum rooms with lots of signs giving you the history of the Castle and its role in the struggles of England and Wales. There is even a great little model of the Castle as it originally appeared. Of course the two main towers now feature the Union Jack on one and the beautiful Red Dragon Flag of Wales on the other.

The Castle opens daily from 9:00 or 9:30 to 16:00 or 17:00 depending on the season with shorter hours Sundays November-March.
Admission is Adults £3.60, Reduced rate £3.20.
Family Ticket:- £10.40 - admits 2 adults and up to 3 children under 16 years.